The effect of professional identity on unethical professional behavior tendency in student teachers: A moderated mediating model

To explore the influence of professional identity, empathy, and career setbacks on unethical professional behavior tendency among student teachers, a sample of 470 student teachers was tested using questionnaires. The results showed that: a) Professional identity was significantly positively correlated with empathy and negatively correlated with unethical professional behavior; b) Professional identity indirectly predicted unethical professional behavior through the mediating role of empathy; c) Career setbacks moderated the latter half of the path through which professional identity predicts unethical professional behavior via empathy. This research suggests that empathy mediates the influence of professional identity on unethical professional behavior, and this mediating effect is moderated by career setbacks. Additionally, the results revealed that male student teachers exhibited significantly lower levels of empathy than female student teachers, while demonstrating significantly higher unethical professional behavior tendency.